AUBURN, Mass. — Any Auburn resident who wants their property excluded from the state's pesticide spraying this spring should notify the town clerk's office in writing.

The program was implemented by the Department of Food and Agriculture to allow any land owner to exclude his or her property from wide applications of pesticides.

The program began in 1983 in response to public concerns about pesticide exposure. Generally, the only pesticide application programs affected by the exclusion program are those for gypsy moths and mosquitoes.

To be excluded from the spraying, residents should notify the Auburn town clerk in writing with a certified letter providing the name, address, telephone number, names of all abutters, and defining programs from which the exclusion is requested.

Designations for exclusion may be made before March 1 and are affective from April 1 to March 31 of the next year.

For more information, visit the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project website, or contact Lee Corte-Real, director of the Massachusetts Pesticide Bureau at 617-626-1776 or Lee.Corte-Real@state.ma.us.

The Auburn Town Clerk can be reached by calling 508-832-7701 or visiting 104 Central St.